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News & Updates

New art acquisitions announced!

Eight grants awarded through The Ford Family Foundation’s Art Acquisition Fund, a partnership that supports our state’s collecting visual arts institutions, ensure works by important Oregon artists will be accessible to the public in perpetuity.

Funds were awarded by a panel of art professionals to: the City of Halsey, Coos Art Museum, High Desert Museum, Portland Art Museum, Portland State University, Reed College, The Schneider Museum of Art, and Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at University of Oregon.

James Lavadour, “Golden,” 2018, oil on panel. Acquired by The High Desert Museum.

It’s Poetry Out Loud time!

All school contests are completed and winners are advancing to three regional contests Saturday, March 2, in Medford, Portland and Salem. The top three students from each region will advance to the state contest in Salem on March 9. The state winner will be invited to participate in the national contest in Washington D.C. at the end of April.

Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partnership with state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance.

Finalists from the Lincoln High School contest in Portland: (left to right) junior Robert Menezes, sophomore Jiwon Lim, junior Aidan Henrikson and freshman Cate Bikales, who will compete in the Portland regional contest on Saturday at Lewis and Clark College.

Operating Support Program application now live!

The guidelines and application for FY2020 Operating Support grants are now posted. Remember that ALL organizations must apply every year.

For grant year FY2020 the following disciplines must submit full applications:

Arts Services; Literary; Theatre; and Visual Arts.

The following disciplines must submit interimapplications:

Dance; Film/Media; Interdisciplinary; and Music.

Organizations applying for Operating Support for the first time may only do so in their discipline’s assigned full application year. If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility or discipline please call 503-986-0082.

Applications for Operating Support are due by

5 p.m. on Friday, March 29.

NOTE: Recorded webinars on completing the required DataArts profiles are available at the links below.

Arts Build Communities grants announced

They share $175,000 for projects using the arts as a means of addressing community need.

The Arts Build Communities program targets broad geographic impact and arts access for underserved audiences in Oregon. More than half of this year’s awards go to communities outside of the Portland area.

One of the Portrait Connection’s Portraits in Eastern Oregon, featuring children struggling with serious health issues. Portrait by Laurel Knight.

Intisar Abioto exhibits in Governor’s Office

Portland artist Intisar Abioto will exhibit “Black Legend, Black, Oregon” in Governor Kate Brown’s Office in the Oregon State Capitol Building in Salem through March 29.

“Black Legend, Black, Oregon” explores the lore and living legend of Black presence in Oregon through photographs of artists, elders, poets, historians, luminaries and beloved community members. Works in the exhibition include images from the artist’s ongoing photographic endeavor and exploratory blog The Black Portlanders as well as photographs taken around Oregon for the Urban League of Portland’s “State of Black Oregon” 2015 publication. She has been photographing and writing about people of African descent in Oregon since 2013.

An exhibition in the Governor’s Office is considered a “once in a lifetime” honor.

Arts Commission application proposals are reviewed and scored by volunteers chosen for their geographic, ethnic and gender diversity, as well as for their expertise and experience. From these scores, staff ranks the grant proposals and uses the rankings to determine funding awards.

If interested in serving as a review panelist, please complete this form. The information provided will be used to evaluate qualifications of potential panelists and to update the Oregon Arts Commission’s administrative records should the panelist be selected.

Britt Music & Arts Festival wants to put your creativity on display in our 2019 Britt Festival Orchestra Souvenir Program. Our 2019 season is built around the theme ‘The Sound of Nature’. We are looking for original poetry, short stories, or visual art that relates to music & nature for our publication. How does music reflect nature? Where do we find music? How does nature inspire the creative process with regards to music? How did smoke from various fires last summer impact the making of music? Explore these topics through your written or visual artistic expressions.

2019 Britt Festival Orchestra Program Call for Entries

Britt Music & Arts Festival wants to put your creativity on display in our 2019 Britt Festival Orchestra Souvenir Program. Submit your original work via email by April 1st, 2019 to be considered.

Our 2019 season is built around the theme ‘The Sound of Nature’. We are looking for original poetry, short stories, or visual art that relates to music & nature for our publication, which will go to press in June 2019. How does music reflect nature? Where do we find music? How does nature inspire the creative process with regards to music? How did smoke from various fires this summer impact the making of music? Explore these topics through your written or visual artistic expressions.

What to consider:

For visual artists: The physical page size will be 6.625”w x 10.125”t and will be printed using CMYK. Please submit a high-res JPG or PDF file for us to consider. All mediums accepted. (Paintings, Illustrations, Comic Art, Photography, Decoupage, etc.) For artists from the Rogue Valley: We will make a high-res scan of the chosen work and return the original to you or you can donate it to be auctioned off to support the BFO.For artists from out of the area(outside the Rogue Valley, Oregon) please be able to supply a high-res print-ready scan or photo of your piece for publication. Any donated work will be auctioned off to support the Britt Festival Orchestra.

Graphic Novel Pages: Using the format of a comic book or graphic novel, express your artistic impressions to be shared with our audience. The focus can be on anything related to orchestral/classical music & nature. From the fire season and how that impacted the making of music to how nature inspires music, to a fictionalized account of our superhero maestro, Teddy Abrams or one of our featured composers. The sky’s the limit!

Poetry: Poems should be a maximum of 250 words (to appear on a half-page of the program)

Prose: Articles or stories should be a maximum of 500 words (to take up a single page of the program)

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If your work is selected: you grant Britt the approval to reproduce the artwork in physical and digital format in perpetuity. We will include a byline of your choice and a link to your bio on our website. We will also include featured bios and/or interviews with the winning artists to share on social media. Your work may be published in any the following formats: Physical Program Book, Physically (via ads or souvenir items produced for Britt), Digitally (on our website, our social media channels and through video which will be shared on our social media/Youtube channels & possibly television). Written pieces may be recorded by a narrator and shared via the above digital channels.

Check our website on January 24th for the complete program lineup to pick a composer or work to further your inspiration!

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Where to submit your entry AND DEADLINE:

Submit all work to [email protected] in PDF (for written work) or JPG (for visual art) format by April 1st, 2019 to be considered. Selected artists will be notified by email.

What is the Question:
Lewis Anderson & Darcie Sternenberg

September 14–November 2, 2018

Southern Oregon photography artists Lewis Anderson and Darcie Sternenberg both create dreamlike landscape images. Anderson’s Asian inspired pieces are large multi-paneled images while Sternenberg’s smaller, intimate pieces are in black and white. In this exhibit, each image is titled with a question, which invites the viewer to establish a stronger connection to the art.

Lewis Anderson’s images are layered photographic images on elongated canvases. His use of layered images creates mystical and deeply spiritual landscapes, which are reminiscent of ancient Chinese landscapes. The artwork reflects his own spiritual journey. Having survived a life-threatening injury at an early age, Lewis developed a lifelong spiritual quest that includes world travel and numerous visits to the desert of Rajasthan, India.

Darcie Sterneberg’s black and white landscape photographs are atmospheric and dreamlike. Some of her images are from her travels; many are from familiar places that she has captured in an extraordinary way. She often uses a slow shutter speed to alter the reality of a place and create a feeling of mystery. Working in black and white, she develops rich tonal relationships.

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IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY

A Liberating Spirit:
Multimedia Works by Judith Ommen

August 31–September 28, 2018

“Complications” by Judith Ommen

Reception: Friday, September 21, 5:00-8:00 pm

Jacksonville artist Judith Ommen works in a variety of media: collage, encaustic, oriental brush and printmaking. Her work begins with a realistic image which she alters repeatedly until it becomes an abstraction. Judith worked in higher education as an administrator and a teacher. She retired to the Rogue Valley and has purposed her lifelong love of creating art.

ROGUE GALLERY’S 2018 ANNUAL AUCTION

Puttin’ on the Glitz
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 5pm
at the Rogue Valley Country Club
2660 Hillcrest Road, Medford

The annual auction is our biggest fundraiser and a great night of fun, food, music and deals! The evening includes a silent auction, cocktail hour, dinner, and live auction with music by “Band du Pays Swing”. It also includes a members’ exhibit with the theme “Puttin’ on the Glitz”- in an Art Deco/Great Gatsby style (see the call to artists HERE).

If you are interested in donating items or services to be auctioned at the auction, call (541) 772-8118. Donation FormHERE>>

DATE CORRECTION

BEAR CREEK PARK ARTIST VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

The Medford Parks and Recreation Department is teaming up with JWA Public Affairs, the Medford Parks and Recreation Foundation, the Medford School District, and playground manufacturer Leathers, Inc. to help replace the well-loved playground at Bear Creek Park. They need artists, art teachers, and/or crafts people to volunteer to help fulfill their vision by creating appliques and embellishments for the structures. The CORRECTED DAYS of the playground rebuild are Sept 29 & 30 and October 2-October 6. If you would like to participate, contact Sally Densmore at (541) 840-7015 or [email protected]

The Rogue Gallery & Art Center is the Rogue Valley’s premier non-profit community art center founded in 1960 to promote and nurture the visual arts in the Rogue Valley. The Art Center showcases emerging and established artists, presents fine crafts by area artisans, and offers a broad range of visual art classes and workshops for all ages.

Rogue Gallery & Art Center is located in downtown Medford at 40 South Bartlett Street. The hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We are open every third Friday until 8:00pm.

21st International Open

Exhibition Dates: August 17 – September 8, 2018

Final Entry Due Date: June 15 , 2018

Juror: Nia Pushkarova

Prizes Awarded: Best of Show $500 / 2nd Place $250 / 3rd Place $100.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT WORKhttps://womanmadegallery.submittable.com/submitCall for Art for all female identified artists worldwide to submit artwork for this open exhibition. All themes, styles, and media will be considered. Artwork that explores or challenges conceptual and material boundaries is encouraged.

The application fee for our juried exhibitions is $30 for up to three images of work, plus one detail image if necessary. A limited number of artists who experience financial hardship may be exempt from paying the entry fee; please send us an email to request a fee waiver:[email protected]. All applicants should submit an artist’s statement about their body of work. Accepted artworks must not exceed 72″ horizontally and must not have been previously shown at WMG.About the Juror: Nia Pushkarova

Nia Pushkarova is a multimedia artist and curator. She graduated with a Fine Art degree from the University of Reading, England in 1995, receiving a Kodak award upon her graduation. She is the founder and director of NGO IME since 2004, responsible for organizing Water Tower Art Fest in Sofia, Bulgaria. Pushkarova is part of Artist Initiative Network since 2014, and cofounder and member of the Bulgarian Festival Association. She participated internationally, both as an artist and organizer, including in the 2017 Nakanojo Biennale, Japan; at EFFE Festival Academy, Atelier for young festival managers, Chiang in 2016; at Parabiosis 3, ”Communication and Co-Existence,” Chongqing, China; and in Mexico, Coahuila “Raya En El Agua.”

In her work, Pushkarova deals with issues related to feminism, localism, and geopolitics, while connecting conceptual and political oriented practice with moments of the autobiographical and poetic. She lives and works in Sofia, Bulgaria. For more information visit: http://nia.watertowerartfest.com

Banner Image: Performance by Nia Pushkarova

Language of the VoicelessArt Inspired by, and in Memoriam to Artist Nancy Hild
Exhibition Dates: September 28 – October 20, 2018Entry Due Date: July 15 , 2018
Juror: Jeramy Turner

Nancy’s world was one of secrets: secret symbolism, hidden drawers, compartments within compartments, an anger and intense strength that was shielded behind floral arrangements, chicken feathers, pug dogs, and a gently scathing humor….but upon closer scrutiny these pleasantries were often plastic. Blow up toys, easily punctured, and vulnerable in their inertness.

Nancy exposed her anger at a world that trampled upon women and animals with equal nonchalance, and she did so by creating a silent language of detail and quietude, submerging her figures in the silence of black velvet encasement.

In homage to this otherworldly artist, Woman Made Gallery is asking for art that emotes that which cannot be put into words: women’s anger, women’s sadness, women speaking to each other in tongues only they can understand. And animals, as representations of vulnerability and simultaneous resilience. This is a call for art of emotion, above all…..a call for the expression of voicelessness

The application fee for our juried exhibitions is $30 for up to three images of work, plus one detail image if necessary. A limited number of artists who experience financial hardship may be exempt from paying the entry fee; please send us an email to request a fee waiver:[email protected]. All applicants should submit an artist’s statement about their body of work. Accepted artworks must not exceed 72″ horizontally and must not have been previously shown at WMG.

About the Juror: Jeramy Turner

Jeramy Turner’s primary concern has been for many years the use of art and film to expand consciousness and foment the questioning everything. She wants art to shatter complacency, to disturb and delight viewers and to send them home with a new way of seeing the world.

Turner is a self-taught artist, whose paintings are most often depictions of capitalists’ vulnerability. She has also a long history of running alternative cinemas, mostly in Chicago. She established the international radical feminist art collective, “SisterSerpents” in 1989, which Jesse Helmes decried as a “hate group” against unborn children. Turner has taught and lectured on the conjuncture of political involvement in art and feminism at numerous universities and institutions in the US (Chicago, Boulder, Jersey City,Cornell). Her work has been exhibited in London, Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, Hamburg, Bergen, Norway, and at many alternative and university galleries throughout the US. Her work is represented in Vienna with Treadwell Galerie, and in New York with Limner Gallery. View Jeramy Turner’s work here: www.jeramyturner.com.

ABOUT WOMAN MADE GALLERY
Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization founded in 1992. Its mission is to support, cultivate, and promote the diverse contributions of women in the arts through exhibitions and other programs that serve, educate, and enrich our community. We rely on membership contributions and individual donations to create the programs that support our mission.

Earlier today, the full U.S House Appropriations Committee voted to approve last month’s Interior Subcommittee vote to increase funding by $2 million each to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), bringing them up to $155 million for FY 2019. New Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chair Chellie Pingree (D-ME) was also successful in adding the following report language to the arts funding bill:

“The Committee acknowledges and appreciates decades of arts and humanities advocacy by the late Rep. Louise M. Slaughter. In her memory, the Committee encourages NEA and NEH to expand grant-making activities in a manner that honors her advocacy, especially in rural and under-served areas, so more Americans are able to benefit from the economic, social, and educational impacts of the arts and humanities.”

Next, the bill will move on to be reviewed and voted on by the U.S. Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. As the bill moves to the Senate, we have invited three grassroots arts leaders to “Fly-In” from Missouri, Montana and West Virginia to meet with their Senators and advocate for this increased funding bill. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), are all members of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. We hope this advocacy strategy will continue to be effective throughout the appropriations process.

P.S. Thank you for your support. Please keep checking back to our blog post for more information. We’ll be posting a detailed table of the FY’19 House and Senate appropriation allocations for each of the federal cultural agencies.

Bowls of Hope Event Raises Funds to Feed the Hungry in Jackson County

ACCESS, Options for Southern Oregon and local restaurants collaborate

On Thursday, May 17 from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Ramada Conference Center in Medford, the non-profit organizations ACCESS and Options for Southern Oregon invite the public to “Bowls of Hope.”

This new fundraising event celebrates the community and local artists in a collaboration to help fight hunger and serve people of all ages who have mental health needs in Jackson County.

Bowls of Hope features hand-painted ceramic bowls crafted by local students and artists. Attendees will select and take home a bowl as a memento and reminder that thousands of bowls in Jackson County go unfilled every year.

Local restaurants are donating soups, breads and desserts to serve attendees. All soups will be voted on and one restaurant will win the “People’s Choice – Soup of the Year” award. The event also features live entertainment and a silent auction.

Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at ACCESS, 3630 Aviation Way in Medford, online at www.accesshelps.org or at Art in Bloom at the Art4Joy booth. For tickets and more information, call 541-774-4312 or 541-244-4138.

So much has happened and so it goes…

The last newsletter we sent was all about the flurry of the March for Our Livesactivity. We are pleased to report all our combined efforts made for a very successful participation in the march. As a friend said, as we loaded the packs of 100 into the van at the end of the rally, “This was a 10 out of 10!!” Her enthusiasm, and yours, is what makes this Project GO!

We got lots of compliments on the organization of this action but it never would have happened without the stalwart help of several volunteers. On the days before the march they spent hours assembling the backpacks for the boxes and the flyer pouches which kept our handouts accessible but dry.

We had more than enough people to carry the 47 bags of 100 Soul Boxes and participants ranged in age from 11 to 80. High school students signed on and proudly carried our new Soul Box banner. It was generous of PNCA to allow our staging in their beautiful lobby – it would have been a struggle outside. And then at the end, EVERY single bag came back to First Congregational Church. Well done, everyone!

The Soul Boxes DID get noticed. Feedback like this was typical from various sources:I saw some folks carrying bags of soul boxes at the March for Our Lives, and thought it was such a great way to help visualize the massive numbers of gun victims. And I also liked that this provided me a way to act that might even have an impact — I’m tired of being angry/depressed/appalled … at the way ‘thoughts and prayers’ after each mass shooting lead to absolutely no change”.

It takes a Village, and then a Nation

So far the vast majority of the Soul Box count has come from Portland where the word has has been passed from friend to friend, to churches, to schools to community. We know this can happen all over the nation, and when it does we need to be ready to move forward.

Although there will be events between now and the year’s end, we are intent on getting 36,000 Soul Boxes representing the average annual number of gunfire victims to display at the Oregon State Capitol on Feb.15, 2019. This date will coincidentally be the day after the first anniversary of the Parkland shooting, which will bring focus to the press coverage of this one-day exhibit.

Here is a chart of the trend so far – we need to step it up in order to meet the 36K goal and continue on towards larger national exhibits.

As we move forward funding becomes more important. We have gone beyond the basics of website, PO Box rental, paper, etc.

Our immediate need is a space, for storage and to work on display proto-types. We also need funds and volunteers to help staff the management and promotion of the Project. All tangible donations can be tax-deductible.

Three ways to send financial contributions

Tax Deductible Contributions: We’re pleased to announce that we now have a fiscal sponsor! Fractured Atlas is “a national organization that supports Individual artists at every level of the cultural ecosystem — performing, visual, literary, design, media, and everything in between — as well as arts organizations, from one-person outfits to the biggest of the big”.

When you click this DONATE link you will land on The Soul Box Project page on the Fractured Altas site. Enjoy the short video we made to introduce the Project. Your donations to The Soul Box Project via Fractured Atlas are tax deductible.

As our nonprofit grantor, Fractured Atlas deducts a 7% administration fee of which 3.5% are credit card fees. It feels right that the rest of the fee is used to help other projects find a voice through artistic expression.

Contribute directly to The Soul Box Project: If a tax deduction is not important, you can contribute directly to The Soul Box Project.

Or, send a check made out to The Soul Box Project to:PO Box 19900Portland, OR 97280

Contributions made directly to The Soul Box Project are not tax deductible.

We have received nearly 9000 Soul Boxes. Thank you!

In order to reach our exhibit goal we need almost 100 Boxes a day for the rest of the year. This is doable. That’s 20 random people making 5 Soul Boxes on any day, or 7 churches or schools making 100 a week.

If you are mailing there is no need for Priority Mail. Ground service is inexpensive and will deliver your Soul Boxes just fine.

We could use more, so let us know of other possible locations, wherever you live.

A group in Tucson, Arizona posted: “I am beyond grateful! Today 15+ people created 142 Soul Boxes. Thank you Tap & Bottle for allowing us to take over. Keep folding friends, and let’s do it again soon!”

The creative use of a theme was used for multiple Soul Boxes from Denver, Colorado. “The Day the Music Died” honors those lost in mass shootings from years ago to the present.

Bravo for the volunteers who organized the Soul Box making event at their local library! Twenty-two people of all ages stopped by and 144 more Boxes were added to the total.

A supporter’s wine cellar turned Soul Box storage room will be too small too soon. Who knows of a storage space that could be a tax-deductible donation to the Project?

…and on it goes!

There is so much to tell between newsletters, so now we also have a blog. This is where we have a chance to tell the background stories, celebrate what members of our team are doing, report our wins and setbacks, and share what others have shared with us (that’s an invitation). We have just begun but we are excited about this new addition to the Project. We think you will find yet another layer of meaning and connection in The Soul Box Blog & News.